Oral combination drug formulation comprising a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and a complementary low dose of tranexamic acid for the treatment of menstrual pain accompanied with excessive menstrual blood loss

ABSTRACT

A method for relieving menstrual pain and reducing menstrual blood loss in a female is provided. The method comprises administering to the female an oral combination drug formulation comprising a first therapeutically effective dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and a second complementary low dose of tranexamic acid, wherein the NSAID is formulated to relieve the menstrual pain and to reduce a volume of menstrual blood loss of the female, wherein the dose of tranexamic acid ranges from 50 mg to 425 mg per oral combination drug formulation.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/696,297 filed Nov. 26, 2019, now allowed. The Ser. No. 16/696,297Application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/292,473 filed Mar. 5, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,532,037, which is aContinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/051,043 filed Oct.10, 2013 which is a Continuation of international applicationPCT/US2011/060643 filed on Nov. 14, 2011, which claims the benefit ofU.S. provisional patent application No. 61/474,392 filed on Apr. 12,2011, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the treatment of female menstrualdisorders. More specifically, the present invention relates to thepharmacological treatment of menstrual pain accompanied with excessivemenstrual blood loss. Further, the present invention relates to thepharmacological treatment of menstrual pain accompanied with excessivemenstrual blood loss by administration of an oral combination drugformulation comprising a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)and a complementary low dose of tranexamic acid.

BACKGROUND

Menstrual disorders affect the lives of millions of women. Painfulmenstrual periods associated with heavy menstrual bleeding often requiremedical attention and initiation of appropriate therapy.

Painful menstrual periods may be clinically diagnosed as primary orsecondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as painfulmenstrual periods in women with normal pelvic anatomy. It ischaracterized by crampy pelvic pain beginning shortly before or at theonset of menstrual periods and lasting one to three days. Dysmenorrheaalso may be secondary to pelvic organ pathology.¹ Reported dysmenorrheaprevalence rates range from 43% to 90%. The variability of theseestimates is explained by differences in the methods of data collection,the definitions of dysmenorrhea and populations studied².

Heavy menstrual bleeding is defined as menorrhagia when the menstrualblood loss (MBL) exceeds 80 mL per menstrual cycle. In real-worldpractice, if a woman's periods are so heavy or so long that she findsthem distressing, then she is experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding.One-third of all women report heavy menstrual bleeding at some point intheir lives, and in Western countries about 5% of reproductive-agedwomen seek treatment for it annually³.

With the high prevalence of dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, one may expectthat a substantial number of women suffer from both diseasesconcomitantly. Days of painful menstrual periods in conjunction withexcessive MBL may also be experienced by women not clinically diagnosedwith either condition, or diagnosed with only one of them (e.g.,clinically diagnosed menorrhagia in the absence of dysmenorrhea; orclinically diagnosed dysmenorrhea in the absence of menorrhagia).

In North America and Europe, dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia are oftentreated by off-label use of approved hormonal contraceptives. For anumber of women, the treatments may not be acceptable due to knowncontraindications, hormone-related adverse events and/or undesirablechanges in the menstrual bleeding pattern, including unpredictableintra-cyclic bleeding, irregular menstrual periods and/or thedevelopment of amenorrhea^(4, 5, 6) Due to known safety issues, danazolis rarely considered as a viable pharmacological treatment option.Surgical removal of the uterus (i.e., hysterectomy) may be consideredfor women with severe, refractory dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. Yet,this is a radical treatment option with known undesirable consequences,including loss of fertility, surgical morbidity, as well as entailinghigh cost. There is limited evidence supporting minimally invasivemethods of endometrial destruction as efficacious treatment options fordysmenorrhea and menorrhagia^(1, 7).

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are currently consideredthe most appropriate initial therapy fordysmenorrhea.^(1,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16) The following NSAIDs arecommonly prescribed for the treatment of pain associated withdysmenorrhea: (1) Mefenamic acid, (Ponstel®); (2) Ibuprofen (Motrin®,Advil®); (3) Diclofenac potassium (Cataflam®; (4) Naproxen sodium(ANAPROX®/ANAPROX® DS); (5) Ketoprofen (Orudis®); (6) Meclofenamatesodium.^(17,18,19,20,21,22,23) Ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen arerecommended drugs.^(11,12) In the published meta-analysis, ibuprofen wassingled out as the drug having the most favorable risk-benefit ratio.¹⁶

Oral NSAIDs have been shown to reduce MBL.^(6,25,26) The NSAIDs' abilityto reduce MBL is related to the established relationship ofendomyometrial prostaglandins to the genesis of menorrhagia. The mostextensively studied NSAIDs, the fenamates, inhibit prostaglandinsynthesis and bind to prostaglandin receptors which are significantlyincreased in women with menorrhagia.²⁴

However, many patients desire greater reduction of the amount ofmenstrual flow than what is typically achievable using recommended dosesof oral NSAIDs.²⁹ To ensure greater reduction of MBL, the maximal NSAIDdoses must often be administered.⁴ This leads to undesirable sideeffects such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation,and allergic reactions and is not optimal, particularly if a much lowerNSAID dose is sufficient to alleviate menstrual pain. As an example, ahigh dose of ibuprofen (800 mg every 8 hours) has been recommended forMBL reduction⁵, while a lower dose (400 mg every 4 hours as necessaryfor pain relief¹⁹) may be sufficient to alleviate menstrual pain. Arecommendation in the FDA-approved class labeling for NSAIDs is to usethe lowest effective dose for the shortest duration possible.²¹

In addition, NSAIDs demonstrate inferior efficacy in reducing MBL whencompared to another drug widely used for treatment of menorrhagia, oraltranexamic acid. Oral tranexamic acid is marketed in the U.S. asLysteda® and both within and outside the U.S. as Cyklokapron®. As isreported in the Lysteda label, tranexamic acid is a synthetic lysineamino acid derivative which diminishes the dissolution of hemostaticfibrin by plasmin. In the presence of tranexamic acid, the lysinereceptor binding sites of plasmin for fibrin are occupied, preventingbinding to fibrin monomers, thus preserving and stabilizing fibrin'smatrix structure.³² The antifibrinolytic activity of tranexamic acidresults in inhibition of the dissolution of clots.²⁸ For many women,oral tranexamic acid is an efficacious treatment option. Clinicalstudies indicated that a 3900 mg/day regimen (marketed in the US asLysteda) meets MBL reduction targets established by the FDA andsignificantly reduces limitations on social, leisure and physicalactivities.^(32,36)

However, the treatment-induced changes in MBL established in the Lystedaclinical trials may be not satisfactory for some women, and manypatients may desire even greater reduction of the amount of menstrualflow. As was noted in the medical review of the Lysteda NDA, less thanhalf (44%) of subjects returned to normal MBL after treatment (i.e.,achieved a mean on-treatment MBL of less than 80 mL). There were nostatistically significant differences between tranexamic acid andplacebo treatment with regard to reduction of large stains, small andlarge clots as well as for changes in serum ferritin levels.³⁶ Thelatter endpoint is particularly meaningful for women with impaired ironstatus and/or clinically-diagnosed anemia frequently associated withmenorrhagia.

In the evaluation of tranexamic acid in the treatment of menorrhagiaperformed in 2000 by the European Agency for the Evaluation of MedicinalProducts (EMEA), a dose-dependent increase in efficacy was noted. Thesame review recommended a daily dose of 3-4 g/day and indicated that therisk of gastrointestinal adverse events is increased at 6 g/day.³⁴ Whilethe FDA-approved Lysteda regimen (up to 3.9 g/day) is within theaforementioned recommended dosing range, certain Warnings andPrecautions, including dose adjustment in women with renal impairment;increase in the risk of blood clots, stroke, or myocardial infarction inthe event of concomitant therapy with hormonal contraceptives; thepossibility of severe allergic reactions; and visual or ocular adverseeffects,⁶ reflect regulatory concerns regarding Lysteda's safety. In therisk-benefit assessment, the FDA medical reviewer suggested a 50% dosereduction for women who do not tolerate the common adverse eventsassociated with the approved treatment regimen.³⁶

A possibility of combining oral NSAID and oral tranexamic acidtreatments has been suggested.⁶ It may be assumed that thecurrently-approved doses of 3.9 mg/day for Lysteda (US) and 3.0 mg/dayfor Cyklokapron® (ex-US) would be used.^(27,29) A combination oraltablet containing the standard doses of tranexamic acid (500 mg) andNSAID mefenamic acid (250 mg) is marketed in India (under Gynameno-Plus®and other trade names). For the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea, themefenamic acid (Ponstel®) label recommends 500 mg as an initial dosefollowed by 250 mg every 6 hours, starting with the onset of bleedingand associated symptoms.¹⁷ To comply with this recommendation, fiveGynameno-Plus tablets must be taken daily. Therefore, the daily dose ofco-administered tranexamic acid would be 2500 mg (i.e. 65% and 85% ofLysteda and Cyklokapron approved doses, respectively). These treatmentmodalities do not take into consideration the substantial contributionof the NSAID component to the MBL reduction. As a result, they use dosesof tranexamic acid which are much greater than needed for adequatecontrol of excessive MBL resulting in increased incidence of adverseevents.

Taken together, the clinical evidence indicates that the efficacy oforal NSAIDs in the treatment of dysmenorrhea accompanied with heavymenstrual bleeding cannot ensure adequate reduction of MBL. Due tosafety issues reflected in relevant FDA guidance, an increase in anNSAID dose cannot be considered as an acceptable option. The efficacy oforal tranexamic acid in the reduction of MBL must also be weighedagainst the potentially disturbing side effects associated with thismedication. When administered concomitantly via the conventional oralroute at approved doses, the combination of an NSAID and tranexamic acidmay raise safety concerns.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a method for effectively relievingmenstrual pain and reducing excessive menstrual blood loss (MBL) withoutthe undesirable side effects of currently recommended doses for oralmedications by providing for an oral combination drug formulationcomprising (i) a first therapeutically effective dose of a non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), wherein said NSAID is able to reduce thevolume of MBL, and (ii) a second complementary low dose of tranexamicacid. In a preferred embodiment, the dose of tranexamic acid is in therange from 50 mg to 425 mg per oral combination drug formulation. In themost preferred embodiment, the dose of tranexamic acid is in the rangefrom 150 mg to 250 mg per oral combination drug formulation.

The present invention takes advantage of the ability of certain NSAIDsto reduce excessive MBL and of the different mechanisms of actionbetween NSAIDs and tranexamic acid in MBL reduction, and allows for theuse of lower doses of tranexamic acid as compared to those currentlyemployed. Due to the combining of MBL-reducing NSAIDs with tranexamicacid, the present invention also avoids the need to increase the dosesof NSAIDs above doses which are efficacious for pain relief.

As compared to the currently available treatments, oral combination drugformulations of the present invention provide increased efficacy in thereduction of MBL in women suffering from painful menstrual periodsaccompanied by excessive MBL.

According to the present invention, an effective MBL reduction isachievable with a relatively low complementary daily dose of tranexamicacid, ranging from 10% to 55%, preferably ranging from 10% to 33% of thecurrently used oral dose of tranexamic acid (marketed in the US asLysteda®). According to the present invention, a complementary dose ofup to 2125 mg daily, preferably up to 1300 mg daily, most preferablyranging from 600 mg to 1000 mg daily (as opposed to the Lysteda's 3900mg/day dose), is used for desirable MBL reduction.

According to the present invention, the dose of the selected NSAID andtranexamic acid takes into account the efficacy of the given NSAID inreducing the volume of MBL. For NSAIDs which cause reduction in thevolume of MBL, the dose of co-administered tranexamic acid can besubstantially lowered. Different mechanisms of the MBL-reducing action(e.g., inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis and binding toprostaglandin receptors by NSAID; reduction of plasminogen activator andplasmin levels by tranexamic acid) result in at least an additive effectof the two components of the oral combination drug formulations of thepresent invention. The appreciable contribution of the NSAID componentto the MBL reduction dictates the selection of both NSAID and tranexamicacid doses. In addition, the relative severity of menstrual pain and theamount of MBL in the target population must also be taken into account.For example, in women with severe dysmenorrhea and relatively modestMBL, addition of a very small dose of tranexamic acid to the potent doseof NSAID should be considered. If, however, menstrual pain is less thansevere and the volume of MBL is high, then a relatively small dose ofNSAID is combined with a slightly greater complementary dose oftranexamic acid. In any case, the goal is an effective treatment of bothconditions with an appropriate dose of each component. The method of thepresent invention ensures achievement of the clinical targetsestablished in the treatment of menstrual pain and excessive MBL.

The critical aspect of the method of the present invention is the use ofa complementary low dose of tranexamic acid. Data from the Lysteda®clinical program suggests 40% as a desirable treatment-induced decreasein the MBL.³⁶ An approximate 40% decrease in MBL was also considered asclinically relevant in the scientific evaluation of tranexamic acid inthe treatment of menorrhagia performed in 2000 by the European Agencyfor the Evaluation of Medicinal Products, EMEA. The same reviewindicated a dose-dependent increase of efficacy of tranexamic acid.³⁴The dose-dependent percent decrease in MBL is supported by the Lystedaclinical data: a mean percent change in MBL for 1950 mg/day regimen wasapproximately 25% vs. 39% for the 3900 mg/day dose.³⁶

Across a number of evaluated studies, an overall mean percent reductionin MBL for NSAIDs was close to 30%.²⁷ Therefore, an additional 10%decrease in MBL may be considered as an appropriate target for thecomplementary dose of tranexamic acid. Assuming proportionality acrossthe entire tranexamic acid dose range, it may be hypothesized that up to1000 mg of tranexamic acid daily may be sufficient to achieve thistarget. To accommodate the possibility of a less-than-expected effect ofNSAID on the MBL, the more conservative estimate would be acomplementary dose of up to 1300 mg/day, or 33% of the currently usedLysteda dose. To ensure additional reduction of the severe menstrualblood loss (MBL), the most conservative estimate would be acomplementary dose of up to 2125 mg/day, or 55% of the currently usedLysteda dose.

The MBL reduction targets must be adjusted for females suffering fromboth menstrual pain and excessive MBL when the latter alone would not beclinically diagnosed as menorrhagia. The data from the Lysteda clinicalprogram suggests 25% as an adequate treatment-induced decrease in theMBL in women with excessive MBL when pretreatment (baseline) MBL isrelatively modest (less than 100 mL per menstrual cycle).³⁸ Such apercent decrease in MBL should be adequate for women with no clinicaldiagnosis related to menorrhagia and would allow for a lowercomplementary dose of tranexamic acid (possibly, up to 10%-15% of thedaily dose of Lysteda).

Specific examples of the calculation of complementary doses oftranexamic acid for individual NSAIDs (based on historical data) arepresented in one of the following sections.

While the exact useful doses for each drug in the method of theinvention are going to be determined in clinical trials, the possibilityof a substantial dose decrease, relative to the currently employed dosesof oral tranexamic acid, is surprising and new. Also surprising and newis the possibility of reduced doses of an NSAID when compared to thedoses recommended for women with painful menstrual periods accompaniedwith excessive MBL: either no NSAID dose increase is needed, or asmaller NSAID dose increase is needed according to the present inventionto ensure adequate MBL reduction in addition to effective pain relief.

While the optimal treatment duration will be determined during clinicaltrials, it is expected that the drug administration must start at theonset of the menstrual period and last for several days, until the endof the menstrual period or at least until the end of painful and/orheavy menstrual bleeding.

Reduced oral doses of NSAID and tranexamic acid used according to thepresent invention should lead to a lower incidence of adverse events,such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, upset stomach,constipation, heartburn, allergic reactions, disturbance of color,sharpness, or field of vision, etc. The reduced complementary dose oftranexamic acid may also eliminate the risks of systemic toxicity andthrombloembolism associated with its oral administration.

The oral combination drug formulations of the present invention allowspractitioners to achieve high efficacy in the management of menstrualpain accompanied with excessive MBL, and a decrease in drug-relatedadverse events, as well as the convenience of a single drug formulation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments disclosed herein are only examples of the many possibleadvantageous uses and implementations of the innovative teachingspresented herein. In general, statements made in the specification ofthe present application do not necessarily limit any of the variousclaimed embodiments. Moreover, some statements may apply to someinventive features but not to others.

Definitions

Menstrual flow is defined as encompassing menstrual blood and/ormenstrual fluid.

Menstrual pain relief is defined as a decrease in the severity ofmenstrual pain when compared to the pre-treatment conditions. Menstrualpain relief may be complete (when a woman does not experience any pain)or partial (when a woman experiences less severe pain).

A therapeutically effective dose/amount of NSAID is defined as theamount of oral NSAID that results in significant (at least, 20%) changesin a 4-point verbal rating scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 3 (severepain) and/or the 100-mm visual analog scale of severity of the menstrualpain (see reference 43), when compared to the pre-treatment conditions.

A therapeutically effective dose/amount of tranexamic acid is defined asthe amount of the drug that results in a significant (at least, 10%)change in the volume of menstrual blood loss (MBL) when compared to thepre-treatment conditions.

Certain disclosed embodiments provide a method for relieving menstrualpain and reducing menstrual blood loss (MBL) in a female byadministering to the female an oral combination drug formulationcomprising a first therapeutically effective dose of a non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), wherein said NSAID is able to reduce thevolume of MBL, and a second complementary low dose of tranexamic acid.In one embodiment, the dose of tranexamic acid is in the range from 50mg to 425 mg, most preferably from 150 mg to 250 mg, per oralcombination drug formulation. In a further embodiment, total daily doseof tranexamic acid does not exceed 2125 mg. In yet another embodiment,the total daily dose of tranexamic acid does not exceed 1300 mg, and ismost preferably ranging from 600 mg to 1000 mg.

In one embodiment, the oral combination drug formulation of the presentinvention can be administered to females, e.g., one to six times perday. In a further embodiment, the oral combination drug formulation ofthe invention can be administered to females suffering from menstrualpain accompanied with excessive MBL, from the onset of menstrualbleeding until the resolution of related symptoms or the end of themenstrual period.

In one embodiment, non-limiting examples of useful oral drugformulations useful in the method of the present invention include oraltablet, oral capsule and oral caplet. In another embodiment, NSAIDsuseful in the formulations of the present invention have provenanalgesic efficacy and/or an indication for the treatment of menstrualpain and are also be able to reduce the volume of MBL. Non-limitingexamples of useful NSAIDs include, e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen,diclofenac, ketoprofen, mefenamic acid, and metabolites thereof.

In one embodiment, NSAID doses range from 5 mg to 1000 mg per oralcombination drug formulation. In a further embodiment, the NSAID isibuprofen. Preferably, the dose of ibuprofen ranges from 100 mg to 800mg per oral combination drug formulation. In another embodiment, theNSAID is naproxen. Preferably, the dose of naproxen ranges from 150 mgto 600 mg per oral combination drug formulation. In yet anotherembodiment, the NSAID is diclofenac. Preferably, the dose of diclofenacis ranges from 5 mg to 50 mg per oral combination drug formulation. In afurther embodiment, the NSAID is ketoprofen. Preferably, the dose ofketoprofen ranges from 5 mg to 50 mg per oral combination drugformulation. In another embodiment, the NSAID is mefenamic acid.Preferably, the dose of mefenamic acid ranges from 50 mg to 500 mg peroral combination drug formulation.

In one embodiment, the method of the invention is used to treat femalesclinically diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea. In another embodiment,the method of the invention is used to treat females clinicallydiagnosed with secondary dysmenorrhea. In yet another embodiment, themethod of the invention is used to treat females with no clinicaldiagnosis related to primary dysmenorrhea or secondary dysmenorrhea, butwho perceive their menstrual periods to be painful. In a furtherembodiment, the method of the invention is used to treat females withmenstrual bleeding of less than 80 mL per menstrual cycle. In anotherembodiment, the method of the invention is used to treat females withmenstrual bleeding of more than 80 mL per menstrual cycle.

In one embodiment, the method of the invention is used to treat femalesclinically diagnosed with menorrhagia. In another embodiment, the methodof the invention is used to treat females clinically diagnosed withidiopathic menorrhagia. In a further embodiment, the method of theinvention is used to treat females clinically diagnosed with cyclicheavy menstrual bleeding. In yet another embodiment, the method of theinvention is used to treat females clinically diagnosed withdysfunctional uterine bleeding. In a further embodiment, the method ofthe invention is used to treat females with no clinical diagnosisrelated to menorrhagia, idiopathic menorrhagia, cyclic heavy menstrualbleeding, or dysfunctional uterine bleeding, but who perceive theirmenstrual periods to be heavy. In yet another embodiment, the method ofthe invention is used to treat females clinically diagnosed with anemia.

In one embodiment, an oral combination drug formulation consists of 400mg ibuprofen and 150-200 mg of tranexamic acid; this oral combinationdrug formulation is administered four times daily to treat femalesclinically diagnosed with primary or secondary dysmenorrhea andclinically diagnosed with menorrhagia. In another embodiment, an oralcombination drug formulation consists of 200 mg ibuprofen and 200-250 mgtranexamic acid; this oral combination drug formulation is administeredthree times daily to treat females with no clinical diagnosis related toprimary dysmenorrhea or secondary dysmenorrhea and with no clinicaldiagnosis related to menorrhagia.

The active compounds of the present invention can be formulated in anoral combination drug formulation in combination with one or morepharmaceutically acceptable carriers and/or excipients such as, e.g.,stabilizers, lubricants, diluents, flavorants, colorants, buffers, anddisintegrants. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include anyand all conventional solvents (such as, e.g., water, physiologicalsolution, dextrose, glycerol, ethanol, and the like, as well ascombinations thereof), wetting agents, emulgators, buffers, conservants,antioxidants, dispersion media, fillers, solid carriers, coatings,antibacterial and antifungal agents, isotonic and absorption delayingagents, as well as other well-known agents which enhance the shelf lifeor effectiveness of one or more of the active components of thecomposition. Examples of such useful substances can be found e.g. in thebook Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy. LippincottWilliams & Wilkins 2005. Except insofar as any conventional media oragent is incompatible with the active ingredients, use thereof incompositions of the present invention is contemplated.

Oral combination drug formulations of this invention may be formulatedto modify and control the distribution of the NSAID and/or tranexamicacid present in a composition upon administration to the female; suchcontrolled release formulations are well known and widely practiced inthe art. In particular, the controlled release formulation may be anextended release formulation, which can reduce the required frequency ofadministration by maintaining the concentration of the active substancesin the composition at desired levels. Any suitable extended releasedelivery system may be used. Some exemplary methods and technologiesuseful for implementing controlled release pharmaceutical formulations,and particularly extended-release formulations, are discussed in thefollowing publications: Chasin M, Langer R S Biodegradable Polymers asDrug Delivery Systems. New York: M. Dekker 1990; Park K et al.Biodegradable Hydrogels for Drug Delivery. Lancaster, Pa.: Technomic Pub1993; Wise DL Handbook of Pharmaceutical Controlled Release Technology.New York: Marcel Dekker 2000; Li X P, Jasti B R Design of ControlledRelease Drug Delivery Systems. New York: McGraw-Hill 2006; Benita SMicroencapsulation: Methods and Industrial Applications. New York:Taylor & Francis 2006; and Rathbone M J Modified-Release Drug DeliveryTechnology. New York: Informa Healthcare 2008.

It will be readily evident to the one skilled in the art that thevarious approaches useful in preparing pharmaceutical formulations, asdescribed herein, and other approaches known in the art, may be usefullycombined in a single oral combination drug formulation.

The present invention is also described and demonstrated by way of thefollowing non-limiting examples. However, the use of these and otherexamples anywhere in the specification is illustrative only and in noway limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of any exemplifiedterm. Likewise, the invention is not limited to any particular preferredembodiments described here. Indeed, many modifications and variations ofthe invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art upon readingthis specification, and such variations can be made without departingfrom the invention in spirit or in scope. The invention is therefore tobe limited only by the terms of the appended claims along with the fullscope of equivalents to which those claims are entitled.

Determination of a complementary dose of tranexamic acid in oralcombination drug formulation provided in the examples, below, are basedon the MBL reduction targets established by the FDA³⁶ in the treatmentof menorrhagia as well as the MBL-reducing potency of an NSAID selectedfor the inclusion in the combination drug formulation. The efficacymetrics reported for the oral tranexamic acid formulation (3900 mg dailydose, marketed in the US as Lysteda®) may serve as appropriatebenchmarks.

Data from the Lysteda clinical program suggests 40% as a desirabletreatment-induced decrease in the MBL in women with menorrhagia.³² Anapproximate 40% decrease in MBL was also considered as clinicallyrelevant in the scientific evaluation of oral tranexamic acid in thetreatment of menorrhagia performed in 2000 by the European Agency forthe Evaluation of Medicinal Products, EMEA. The same review indicated adose-dependent increase in the efficacy of tranexamic acid.³⁴ Adose-dependent reduction in MBL is also evident from the Lystedaclinical study: the mean percent change in MBL for the 1950 mg/dayregimen was approximately 25% vs. 39% for the 3900 mg/day dose.³⁶

The data from the Lysteda clinical program also suggests 25% as anadequate treatment-induced decrease in the MBL in women with excessiveMBL when pretreatment (baseline) MBL is relatively modest (less than 100mL per menstrual cycle).³⁸ Such a decrease in MBL must be adequate forwomen with no clinical diagnosis related to menorrhagia.

The estimates below are based on data from individual clinical studies.Use of averages across all studies for any particular NSAID may also beconsidered. Alternatively, a specially designed study may be conductedto evaluate MBL reduction induced by an NSAID selected for the oral drugformulation in combination with tranexamic acid.

Example 1. One clinical study evaluated effect on MBL of 400 mg ofibuprofen administered four times daily. A 32% reduction in MBL wasreported.^(27,39) A complementary reduction of MBL (necessary to reachthe 40% MBL reduction target in women clinically diagnosed withmenorrhagia) would be 8%, or about one-third of the effect observed forthe 1950 mg tranexamic acid daily dose as reported in the Lystedalabel.³² One-third of that dose (approximately 650 mg) would be anadequate daily supplement of tranexamic acid. The combined oralformulation would then consist of 400 mg of ibuprofen and 150-200 mg oftranexamic acid with a four times/day dosing schedule.

This oral combination drug formulation may be considered for womenclinically diagnosed with primary or secondary dysmenorrhea andclinically diagnosed with menorrhagia.

Example 2. Another clinical study evaluated effect on MBL of 200 mg ofibuprofen administered three times daily. A 16% reduction in MBL wasreported.^(27,40) A complementary reduction of MBL (necessary to reachthe 25% MBL reduction target in women with relatively modest baselineMBL) would be 8%, or about one-third of the effect observed for the 1950mg tranexamic acid daily dose as reported in the Lysteda label.³²One-third of that dose (approximately 650 mg) would be an adequate dailysupplement of tranexamic acid. The combined oral formulation would thenconsist of 200 mg of ibuprofen and 200-250 mg of tranexamic acid with athree times/day dosing schedule.

This oral combination drug formulation may be considered for women withno clinical diagnosis related to dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia.

Example 3. Another clinical study evaluated effect on MBL of 50 mg ofdiclofenac sodium administered four times daily on Day 1 and three timeson the following four days of the menstrual period. A 24% reduction inMBL was reported.^(27,41) A complementary reduction of MBL (necessary toreach the 40% MBL reduction target in women clinically diagnosed withmenorrhagia) would be 16%, or about two-thirds of the effect observedfor the 1950 mg of tranexamic acid daily dose as reported in the Lystedalabel.³² Two-thirds of that dose (approximately 1300 mg) would be anadequate daily supplement of tranexamic acid. The combined oralformulation would then consist of 50 mg of diclofenac sodium and 325 mgof tranexamic acid with a four times/day dosing schedule.

This oral combination drug formulation may be considered for womenclinically diagnosed with primary or secondary dysmenorrhea andclinically diagnosed with menorrhagia.

Example 4. Another clinical study evaluated effect on MBL of 500 mg ofmefenamic acid administered three times daily during the menstrualperiod. A 30% reduction in MBL was reported for women clinicallydiagnosed with menorrhagia (baseline MBL>80 mL)^(27,42) A complementaryreduction of MBL (necessary to reach the 40% MBL reduction target inwomen clinically diagnosed with menorrhagia) would be 10%, or abouttwo-fifths of the effect observed for the 1950 mg tranexamic acid dailydose as reported in the Lysteda label.³² Two-fifths of that dose(approximately 800 mg) would be an adequate daily supplement oftranexamic acid. The combined oral formulation would then consist of 500mg of mefenamic acid and 250-300 mg of tranexamic acid with a threetimes/day dosing schedule.

This oral combination drug formulation may be considered for womenclinically diagnosed with primary or secondary dysmenorrhea andclinically diagnosed with menorrhagia.

Example 5. The study referenced in the previous example also evaluatedthe effect on MBL of 500 mg of mefenamic acid administered three timesdaily during the menstrual period in women with no clinical diagnosis ofmenorrhagia (baseline MBL<80 mL). A 19% reduction in MBL wasreported.^(27,42) A complementary reduction of MBL (necessary to reachthe 25% MBL reduction target in women with relatively modest baselineMBL) would be 6%, or about one-fourth of the effect observed for the1950 mg tranexamic acid daily dose as reported in the Lysteda label.³²One-fourth of that dose (approximately 500 mg) would be an adequatedaily supplement of tranexamic acid. The combined oral formulation wouldthen consist of 500 mg of mefenamic acid and 150-200 mg of tranexamicacid with a three times/day dosing schedule.

This oral combination drug formulation may be considered for women withno clinical diagnosis related to dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia.

The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specificembodiments described herein. Indeed, various modifications of theinvention in addition to those described herein will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Suchmodifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

All patents, applications, publications, test methods, literature, andother materials cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety as if physically present in this specification.

REFERENCES

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What is claimed is:
 1. A method for relieving menstrual pain andreducing menstrual blood loss in a female comprising: administering tothe female an oral combination drug formulation comprising a firsttherapeutically effective dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug(NSAID) and a second complementary low dose of tranexamic acid, whereinthe NSAID is formulated to relieve the menstrual pain and to reduce avolume of menstrual blood loss of the female, wherein the dose oftranexamic acid ranges from 50 mg to 150 mg per the oral combinationdrug formulation; wherein a total daily dose of the tranexamic acidranges from 390 mg to 500 mg.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the oralcombination drug formulation is in a form of any one of: an oral tablet,an oral capsule, and an oral caplet.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinthe NSAID comprises any one of: ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac,ketoprofen, mefenamic acid, and metabolites thereof.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the dose of the NSAID per oral combination drugformulation ranges from 5 mg to 1000 mg.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein the dose of the NSAID per oral combination is any one of: from100 mg to 800 mg of the ibuprofen, from 150 mg to 600 mg of thenaproxen, from 5 mg to 50 mg of the diclofenac, from 5 mg to 50 mg ofthe ketoprofen, and from 50 mg to 500 mg of the mefenamic acid.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the female has a condition that comprises anyone of: primary dysmenorrhea, secondary dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia,idiopathic menorrhagia, cyclic heavy menstrual bleeding, dysfunctionaluterine bleeding, anemia, menstrual bleeding of less than 80 ml permenstrual cycle, and menstrual bleeding of more than 80 ml per menstrualcycle.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the oral combination drugformulation is administered: from the onset of menstrual bleeding untilthe resolution of related symptoms; from the onset of menstrual bleedinguntil the end of the menstrual period.
 8. A method for relievingmenstrual pain and reducing menstrual blood loss in a female comprising:administering to the female an oral combination drug formulationcomprising a first therapeutically effective dose of a non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and a second complementary low dose oftranexamic acid, wherein the NSAID is formulated to relieve themenstrual pain and to reduce a volume of the menstrual blood loss,wherein a total daily dose and a dose per oral combination drugformulation of tranexamic acid is selected based on a contribution ofthe NSAID to the reduction of menstrual blood loss and wherein the doseof the tranexamic acid per the oral combination drug formulation rangesfrom 50 mg to 150 mg; wherein a total daily dose of the tranexamic acidranges from 390 mg to 500 mg.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein theNSAID has any one of: proven analgesic efficacy and an indication forthe treatment of menstrual pain.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein theNSAID comprises any one of: ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen,mefenamic acid, and metabolites thereof.
 11. The method of claim 8,wherein the dose of the tranexamic acid per oral combination drugformulation is any one of: from 50 mg to 100 mg, and from 100 mg to 150mg.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the oral combination drugformulation comprises 400 mg of the ibuprofen and 100 mg of thetranexamic acid, wherein the oral combination drug formulation isadministered four times daily.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein theoral combination drug formulation comprises 200 mg of the ibuprofen and125 mg of the tranexamic acid, wherein the oral combination drugformulation is administered four times daily.